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In a chilling case unfolding in Fall City, Washington, a teenage boy is facing accusations of murdering his family and allegedly attempting to shift blame onto his deceased younger brother. Police arrived at the Humiston home to a devastating scene, finding five members of the family shot and killed.
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victims as 42-year-old Sarah Humiston, 43-year-old Mark Humiston, and their children, 7-year-old Katheryn, 9-year-old Joshua, and 13-year-old Benjamin. Two of the family’s children survived the shooting: the 15-year-old accused of the crime and his 11-year-old sister, who managed to escape despite being shot twice.
Prosecutors have charged the teen with five counts of aggravated murder, and a required hearing under Washington state law will determine if he will be tried as an adult. Due to his age, authorities have not publicly identified the teen. According to law enforcement, the teenager initially tried to implicate his younger brother in the shootings, claiming that Benjamin, who had also been killed, was responsible for the massacre.
However, police say his 11-year-old sister was able to flee and inform investigators of her older brother’s alleged role in the shootings. The young girl, who was treated at a hospital in Seattle and later released, provided critical information to detectives. She reportedly informed investigators that her brother had recently faced disciplinary issues at school due to poor grades and knew the code to access a handgun kept in a lockbox by their father.
The girl revealed that her brother was the only one of the siblings who knew the combination. King County Sheriff’s Detective Aaron Thompson described the incident in an affidavit of probable cause. The defendant reportedly made a call to 911 around 5 a.m. on Monday, claiming his 13-year-old brother had shot and killed the family after getting in trouble for viewing inappropriate content online.
Shortly after, a neighbor also called 911, reporting that the injured 11-year-old had arrived at their home, saying she had played dead during the attack and fled once her older brother was gone. Responding officers detained the 15-year-old outside the home and discovered the bodies of the family members inside. The affidavit describes how the girl managed to survive by pretending to be dead before finding a way to escape and alerting neighbors to the tragedy.
The accused teen waived his right to appear in court on Tuesday, as confirmed by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. His defense attorneys emphasized in court that the teen has no prior criminal record, though they did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the charges. The teenager is scheduled to return to court on Friday for further proceedings.
The tragedy has deeply shaken the local community, including the workplace of Mark Humiston, who worked as an electrical engineer with Hargis Engineers in Seattle. In a statement, the company expressed profound grief over the loss, saying, “We are blindsided and saddened by the tragic events that have led to the loss of a respected colleague, mentor, and friend, as well as the loss of immediate family members. Mark’s leadership and vision were integral within our firm, and he will be greatly missed.”
As the legal process moves forward, the horrific nature of the incident continues to reverberate within the community, with authorities and residents grappling with the tragic loss of a family and the unimaginable circumstances surrounding it.
